Chapter 71 Fog Of Truth

• Rachel POV
• The scent of gnocchi with butter and sage still lingered in the kitchen, but the tranquility I’d felt minutes ago had vanished like smoke. Cody’s words echoed in my mind, each syllable a hammer against the foundation of my life. Nick and Scarlett, the people who raised me, who loved me, who gave me a home—had sent Cody and Amelie to prison? It was hard, almost impossible, to believe. I tried to convince myself he was just bitter, spewing venom from a past that wounded him, but there was something in his voice, a raw conviction, that planted a seed of doubt in my chest.
• “They’d never frame someone without a reason,” I insisted, my voice trembling, as if I needed to cling to the words to keep from crumbling. “I know their character. They’re good people. They’ve always… always done what’s right.” The words came out fragile, almost a plea, as if I were trying to convince myself more than him.